Harrogate told to ‘be prepared’ for snow by Met Office

Harrogate residents have been warned by the Met Office to ‘be prepared’ for snow showers and cold weather in the next few hours and overnight.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning of ‘be prepared’ for North Yorkshire with more than 5cm of snow to accumulate at lower levels.

‘Strong and gusty winds’ have also been forecast for the region which will lead to drifting and blizzard conditions at times, especially over higher routes.

Harrogate residents have been warned of disruption to travel on Thursday morning with the amber weather warning not finishing until 11am.

A Met Office forecast said: “An active cold front is expected to push south east across the UK during Wednesday, introducing an increasingly cold and unstable air mass.

“Showers will become frequent and heavy, falling primarily as snow and driven well inland by strong to gale force northwesterly winds.

“Commuters and other travellers seem likely to face a variety of winter hazards, especially later on Wednesday and early on Thursday, although it’s likely that snowfall in some areas may be more patchy, particularly towards the east.”

Despite the showers becoming a little less frequent during Thursday morning, a yellow warning of ‘be aware’ will no finish until 11.55pm on Thursday night.

Temperatures are expected to drop to below 0 overnight on Thursday Yorkshire Ambulance Service warning residents to take ‘extra care’ as the cold snap takes hold.

Dr David Macklin, Executive Director of Operations, is heading up the preparations at the Trust ahead of the cold snap. He said: “We have plans in place to help us ensure we can continue to operate in the wintry conditions but ask that the public also make their own plans to ensure they don’t need to call us unnecessarily for assistance.

“Our staff will be working extremely hard to get to local people who call upon us for help as quickly and as safely as possible but understandably hazardous driving conditions may lead to extended drive-times meaning it might take us a little longer than normal to reach patients in the worst-hit areas.

“I urge people to take extra care over the next couple of days when out driving or walking and, where possible, to avoid travelling at all in icy or snowy conditions. If they do have to go out, they should ensure that they wear the correct footwear and appropriate warm clothing.”